View source for Bunkō

{{Short description|Japanese fire dog}}
{{Infobox animal|image=File:Sculpture of Brave Dog Bunchan - Otaru - Hokkaido - Japan (47984518556).jpg|caption = Statue of Bunkō in [[Otaru]]|name={{nihongo|Bunkō|ぶん公}}|role=|website=|named after=|parents=|owner=Otaru Fire Department<ref name="Kenzou8-11"/>|residence=|successor=|predecessor=|known=Known as "the firefighting dog", and took part in over 1000 dispatches during his life.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活">{{Cite web |author= |date=2006-02-03 |url=http://otaru-journal.com/2006/02/post-991.php |title=小樽の消防犬「ぶん公」がブロンズ像で復活！ |publisher=小樽ジャーナル |access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref><ref name="Fukuda31-32">[[#Fukuda|Fukuda (2003), pp.31-32]]</ref>|years_active=|employer=|species=[[Dog]] ''(Canis lupus familiaris)''|occupation=|relativeage=|resting_place_coordinates=|death_place=[[Otaru]], [[Hokkaido]], Japan|death_date={{death date and age |1938|02|03 |1914|01|01|df=yes}}|birth_place=[[Hokkaido]], Japan|birth_date=Around 1914|gender=[[Male]]|breed=[[Mongrel]]|othername={{nihongo|Bun|文}}}}'''Bunkō''' (ぶん公, 1914 – February 3, 1938) was a Japanese [[Mongrel|mixed breed dog]], famous for becoming the mascot of the [[Otaru]] city fire department.<ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明">{{Cite web|url=https://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/simin/anzen/shobo/shobosoumu/bunkou.html|title=消防犬ぶん公|last=|date=|publisher=[[小樽市消防本部]]|access-date=2018-10-24}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He was saved as a puppy after being found in burnt-down ruins after a fire and lived in the Otaru fire station for most of his life, being looked after by the firefighters.<ref name="Kenzou8-11">[[#Kenzou|Aoyagi(2017), pp.8-11.]]</ref>
Bunkō would ride along with the firefighters during their dispatches, finding his role in helping to control the onlookers and in disentangling hoses.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/> It has been said that during his life Bunkō rode along on well over 1000 dispatches.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/> His long life ended at the age of 24, and his remains were stuffed and preserved.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/> To commemorate his achievements, a statue was unveiled in 2006, and picture books and other material for children have been written about his life and specific events within it.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/> He is also known as simply Bun in Japanese.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary">[[#Ijiri|Ijiri (2007)]], Commentary</ref>
== Life ==
Otaru has a long history as a port-town, and so during the [[Meiji (era)|Meiji period]] of the late 19th century it saw tremendous expansion as it became a focal point for the shipping of coal mined in Hokkaido to mainland Japan, and the unloading of supplies and personnel needed for the expansion into the interior of [[Hokkaido]].<ref name="Mizuguchi92-94">[[#Mizuguchi|Mizuguchi (1998), pp.92-94.]]</ref> As a result, the population boomed during the Meiji era.<ref name="Mizuguchi92-94"/> However, construction could not keep up with the demand for new houses, and there was an increase in wooden houses that could be built quickly.<ref name="Mizuguchi92-94"/> This resulted in Otaru being highly susceptible to fires, with large conflagrations that would result in the majority of the city being impacted occurring with a frequency of once every 2 to 3 years.<ref name="Mizuguchi92-94"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/>
Bunkō's arrival as a public figure in Otaru came at a time when the city, having learned its lesson from the great fires, was in the process of trying to implement measures to safeguard the city, with stone houses being built and the establishment of a proper fire service.<ref name="Mizuguchi92-94"/>
In the spring of 1914, the fire service responded to a report of a fire and, after extinguishing the blaze, they found a crying puppy in the burnt-out ruins.<ref name="Mizuguchi11-25"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/><ref name="｢ぶん公｣勇姿再び">{{Cite web|url=http://otaru-journal.com/2006/07/post-1269.php|title=小樽の消防犬｢ぶん公｣勇姿再び！運河プラザに記念碑！ 小樽テレビ (2006/07/21)|last=|date=2006-07-21|publisher=小樽ジャーナル|access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref> With no one claiming the puppy as their own, the firefighters took him back to the station to raise him there.<ref name="Kenzou8-11"/><ref name="Mizuguchi11-25">[[#Mizuguchi|Mizuguchi (1998), pp.11-25.]]</ref><ref name="｢ぶん公｣勇姿再び"/>
The puppy was a mixed-breed male with white fur and brown spots, who came to be known as Bunkō among the firefighters.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/><ref name="Mizuguchi11-25"/> Bunkō was particularly attached to the head of the 5th fire division, a man called Kamiyama, who had been the one to save him originally.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Mizuguchi11-25"/> He was well loved by the other firefighters, who all shared bits of their lunch with him to keep him fed.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Mizuguchi11-25"/><ref name="｢ぶん公｣勇姿再び"/> Occasionally, they would round up some money to buy Bunkō his favourite treat of dried herring from the local market. Aside from dried herring, he was also known to love caramel sweets too.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Mizuguchi11-25"/>
Even after Kamiyama retired and left the fire service, Bunkō continued to live in the fire department, using a fire truck as his doghouse.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Mizuguchi11-25"/> Bunkō was an intelligent dog, and he was well liked by the people of Otaru.<ref name="Kenzou8-11"/><ref name="Mizuguchi25-27">[[#Mizuguchi|Mizuguchi (1998), pp.25-27.]]</ref> He loved most to have glasses and a firefighter's hat placed on him,<ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/><ref name="Mizuguchi25-27"/> and he was highly regarded by those who saw him walking proudly around the department building with his hat and glasses.<ref name="Ijiri Commentary" /><ref name="Mizuguchi25-27"/>
He was known to reply during the fire department's morning roll call, barking after all the other firefighters’ numbers had been called out.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/> And, when he heard the command “Attention!”, he would respond as the firefighters did by standing up straight with his forelegs in unison below him and his head high and not change his posture until he heard “At ease!”.<ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/> If he heard the command “Salute!” he would bring his paw up to his ear.<ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/>
[[File:Bunko_and_Fire_engine.jpg|right|thumb|Bunkō on the side of a firetruck]]
He did this without ever being trained to do so, only copying what he saw the other firefighters do.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/><ref name="｢ぶん公｣勇姿再び"/> He was also able to distinguish between the sound of the telephone bell and the fire-alert bell, and in the case of a fire he would howl to alert the others that it was time for dispatch.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/> During the dispatch he would ride along on the side-step of the [[Chevrolet]] fire truck, never once falling off in all his dispatches.<ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/>
At the scene of a fire, he would first grab the nozzle of the hose with his mouth and bring it to the person in charge of using it, and if the hose was to become tangled during the process of fighting the fire he would untangle that part so that the water could flow more easily.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/> In addition, he was particularly adept at crowd-control, and would patrol the cordon during a fire to keep back on lookers, barking at them to stop them coming too close to the fire.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/><ref name="Mizuguchi11-25"/> It has also been said that Bunkō was able to take himself to the hospital to get treated if he was sick.<ref name="Takayama">[[#Takayama|Takayama （2013）, p.85.]]</ref>
Bunkō's feats were heard beyond the local area in Otaru, with newspapers and magazines carrying his story across Hokkaido and the rest of Japan.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Mizuguchi84-85">[[#Mizuguchi|Mizuguchi (1998), pp.84-85.]]</ref> As his dispatch count reached well over 1000 times, he became the pride of Otaru.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/><ref name="Mizuguchi84-85"/> During this same period the dog [[Hachikō]] had also become famous in [[Tokyo]], and so he came to be called Otaru's Hachikō by some.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=時田慎也|date=2017-02-12|title=とことん1日旅 街ものがたり 小樽（北海道）ぬくもりに満ちた手づくりの雪祭りへ|journal=[[サンデー毎日]]|publisher=[[毎日新聞出版]]|volume=96|issue=6|pages=142–146|id={{NCID|AN10176044}}}}</ref>　Eventually, his age began to take its toll, and with his weakened legs and missing teeth making it impossible to grip a hose or move around to help out at the scene, he became more and more inactive.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/> It has been said that even in his weakened state, when he heard the alarm to signal a fire, he would stagger over to try to board the fire truck, moving those around to tears.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/>
Bunkō died at noon on 3 February 1938, while being looked after by the members of the fire department.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/> He was 24 years old (over 100 in dog years<ref name="Takayama"/>). The Otaru Shimbun newspaper (now [[Hokkaido Shimbun|The Hokkaido Shimbun]]) ran the story announcing his death on the 5th of that month, with the headline “Firefighting Dog Bunkō’s Long & Heroic 24 Years Ends from Illness”.<ref name="Fukuda31-32"/><ref name="Mizuguchi84-85"/>
{{Quote frame|Bunkō is known throughout Japan from radio and news articles as an outstandingly fine hound. On learning of his illness through our newspaper, there have been numerous dog loving well-wishers sending money and medicine to aid in his recovery from not only our own Hokkaido but as far away as the Sakhalin Islands. (Abbreviated) Remembering the many brilliant faces of Bunkō – gallantly riding towards the scene of a fire perched on the side of the fire truck; courageously gripping the firehose in his jaw; controlling onlookers with his bark – is enough to move even the firefighters to tears.|Tadashi Mizuguchi|[[#Mizuguchi|Firefighting Dog Bunkō]]}}
== Legacy ==
A large-scale firefighter's funeral was held for Bunkō the day after his death.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/><ref name="Mizuguchi84-85"/> His casket was covered with a [[brocade]] cloth, in front of which was placed a wooden memorial tablet that read “Here lies the spirit of Otaru’s firefighting dog, Bunkō”.<ref name="Mizuguchi84-85"/> The Buddhist priest of the local Ryūtokuji Temple was invited to read from [[Buddhist texts|scripture]], and many mourners came to hear the ceremony and pay their respects.<ref name="Mizuguchi84-85"/><ref name="Mizuguchi82-91">[[#Mizuguchi|Mizuguchi (1998), pp.82-91.]]</ref>
The news of Bunkō's death spread across all of Japan through newspaper and radio reports.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/> The Otaru fire service received numerous commemoration wreaths and offerings. Two hundred of Bunkō's favourite caramel sweets were said to be amongst them.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="Mizuguchi82-91"/>
To continue to spread the story of Bunkō's achievements he was stuffed and preserved, being displayed for a time in the fire service's main headquarters.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/> Afterwards, he was kept by Otaru Museum being displayed at the Otaru Museum and Otaru Canal Museum, with many fans coming from across Japan to see Bunkō's taxidermy at the museum since the beginning of the 2010s.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/><ref>{{Cite news|author=鳥居和比徒|date=2014-01-20|title=今日の話題 消防犬ぶん公|newspaper=[[北海道新聞]] 全道夕刊|publisher=[[北海道新聞社]]|page=1}}</ref> Bunkō's memory has been long lasting, and picture books and other children's literature has introduced his exploits.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Ijiri Commentary"/>
On the 68th anniversary of Bunkō's death, 3 February 2006, a plan to publicly commemorate him began.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/> Former members of Otaru's local fire department founded the “Committee for the Creation of a Commemoration Statue of Firefighting Dog Bunkō”.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/> At the centre of this drive was a local businessman and former assistance-head of the fire department.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/> He had thought of building a commemorative statue as he wanted to “give something back to Otaru”, and remembered Bunkō, deciding to build a bronze statue so that “more people will feel recognition towards the work of fighters and the fire service”.<ref name="ぶん公がブロンズ像で復活"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/>
The plan gained many supporters, and on the July 21st of the same year the statue was unveiled for the first time.<ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/> The bronze statue, at the Otaru City Tourist Information Center (Canal Plaza), depicts Bunkō sitting on a pedestal as he looks towards the warehouses running all the canal.<ref name="小樽市消防本部によるぶん公の説明"/><ref name="Kenzou8-11"/> The pedestal's height was decided on the basis that it should be the right height for children to come and touch the statue and take commemorative pictures with Bunkō.<ref>{{Cite news|title=お帰りなさい! 僕らのぶん公|date=2006-08-01|work=おたる新報|publisher=坂の街小樽新聞社|page=2}}</ref> On the plated photograph attached to the statue Bunkō is shown as he was at that time, riding on the sidestep of the Chevrolet fire truck.<ref name="Kenzou8-11"/><ref name="｢ぶん公｣勇姿再び"/> The statue has been well regarded, and occasionally hand-knitted hats and scarfs, or caramel sweets are left as offerings at the statue.<ref name="ぶん公とマフラー">{{Cite web|url=https://otaru.gr.jp/tourist/%E6%B6%88%E9%98%B2%E7%8A%AC%E6%96%87%E5%85%AC%E3%81%AE%E5%91%BD%E6%97%A523%E7%AF%80%E5%88%86%E3%81%AE%E6%97%A5|title=消防犬文公の命日…2/3節分の日|last=|date=2018-02-03|publisher=おたるぽーたる（一般財団法人小樽観光協会）|access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref> And during the Christmas period the statue is dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, and many tourists come to take pictures with the statue.<ref>{{Cite news|title=〈三面鏡〉名犬ぶん公サンタに|last=田鍋里奈|date=2010-12-17|work=北海道新聞 樽A朝刊|page=26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO24911000R21C17A2W01000|title=来年は戌年 感動の忠Kenzouに会いに行こう|date=2017-12-01|work=[[日本経済新聞|NIKKEI STYLE]]|access-date=2018-12-10  |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181210032315/https://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO24911000R21C17A2W01000 |url-status=live|archive-date=2018-12-10 |publisher=[[日本経済新聞社]]}}</ref>
In 2007, the Otaru company Ishii Printing unveiled four original characters under its in-house brand Otaru Shishōdō, one of which Otaru Un Gappa would go onto be the official mascot of the Otaru Tourism Board. One of these characters was a white puppy called Shachikurara, which was described as being the grandson of Bunkō.<ref name="寺町">{{Cite news|title=「運がっぱ」などキャラクター4種 愛らしさ 小樽の顔に 石井印刷 携帯ストラップ発売|last=寺町志保|date=2008-06-12|work=北海道新聞 樽A朝刊|page=30|ref={{SfnRef|北海道新聞|2008}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://shisyoudou.com/ungappa.html|title=運がっぱと仲間たち|date=2013|publisher=小樽紙匠堂  |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181211003725/http://shisyoudou.com/ungappa.html |url-status=live|archive-date=2018-12-11 |access-date=2018-12-11}}</ref> The next year, in 2008, the character gained popularity through merchandise like [[Mobile phone charm|mobile-phone charms]] and others.
In the same year, 2008, the non-profit organisation Kennel Club Japan awarded Bunkō with the first ‘silver collar’ prize, given to “dogs or humans who have contributed to the co-existence of pets and people within society”.<ref name="メモリアルコンサート">{{Cite web|url=http://otaru-journal.com/2008/02/post-2255.php|title="消防犬ぶん公"メモリアルコンサート|last=|date=2008-02-03|publisher=小樽ジャーナル|access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref><ref name="Kcjニュース">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcj.gr.jp/news/2008/vol1.html|title=ペットと人間の共生のために, 社会に貢献した犬や人へ贈る！銀の首輪賞を制定 受賞第1号「消防犬ぶん公」のメモリアルコンサート開催|last=|date=|publisher=KCJニュース|access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref> Along with the prize, the ceremony was held with a memorial concert on the 70th anniversary of Bunkō's death on 3 February 2008.<ref name="メモリアルコンサート"/><ref name="Kcjニュース"/>
==See also==
* [[List of individual dogs]]
== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
=== Sources ===
* {{Anchor|Kenzou}}Aoyagi, Kenji (2017). ''Zenkoku no kenzou wo meguru, chuukenmonogatari (Visiting Japan's Dog Statues: 45 Tales of Loyal Dogs)''. Seikyuusha. {{ISBN|978-4-7872-2071-4}}.
* {{Anchor|Ijiri}}Ijiri, Seiji (2007). ''Shoubouken Bun (Bun: Firefighting Dog). Tsukiji Shokan''. {{ISBN|978-4-8067-1349-4}}.
* {{Anchor|Takayama}}Takayama, Mika (2013). ''Ougai no yakan (Ougai's Kettle). Neko no Jimusho''.  {{ISBN|978-4-9904809-1-2}}.
* {{Anchor|Fukuda}}Fukuda, Hiromichi (2003). ''Meiken no rekisho ano inutachi ha sugokatta (A History of Famous Dogs: That Dog was Awesome!)''. Chuukei Publishing. {{ISBN|4-8061-1894-X}}.
* {{Anchor|Mizuguchi}}Mizuguchi, Tadashi (1998). ''Shobouken Bunkou (Firefighting Dog Bunkō)''. Bunkeido. {{ISBN|4-89423-218-9}}.
== Further reading ==
* Kenji, Aoyagi (2018) ''Kenzou wo tazunearuku anna inu, konna inu 32 wa'' [Visiting dog statues, that dog, this dog, 32 dog stories] (in Japanese) Seikyusha, {{ISBN|978-4-7872-2077-6}}
== External links ==
* [http://otaru-journal.com/2010/02/0213-3.php 「ちまちま人形でたどる小樽」 博物館企画展 (2010/02/13)] 小樽ジャーナル (in Japanese)
* [http://otaru-journal.com/2014/07/0717-2.php 語り継ぐ"消防犬ぶん公"　生誕100周年記念 (2014/07/17)] 小樽ジャーナル (in Japanese)
* [http://d.hatena.ne.jp/shimamukwansei/20100215/1266231395 「火災都市」小樽と「ブン公」伝説 小樽の都市民俗学] [[Kwansei Gakuin University|関西学院大学]]社会学部 島村恭則ゼミ (in Japanese)
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[[Category:1938 animal deaths]]
[[Category:1914 animal births]]
[[Category:Firefighting]]
[[Category:Individual working dogs]]
[[Category:Individual dogs in Japan]]
[[Category:Pets in Japan]]